ZSM-5-SO3H as an efficient catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of 2, 4, 5-trisubstituted and 1, 2, 4, 5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles under solvent-free conditions

A simple one-pot three-component synthetic method is reported for the synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted imidazole by three-component cyclocondensation of benzil, aromatic aldehydes and ammonium acetate under solvent-free conditions in the presence of ZSM-5-SO3H as a catalyst. Moreover, the utility of this protocol was further explored for the one-pot, four-component synthesis of 1,2,4,5-tetrasubstituted imidazoles from benzil, aromatic aldehydes, primary amines and ammonium acetate in good to high yield and purity.